Alejandro Garnacho’s first return to Old Trafford ended in jeers abuse and a social media storm as Manchester United fans made their feelings crystal clear.
The 21-year-old winger left United for Chelsea in a £40million move last month after falling out with boss Ruben Amorim. Once hailed as Old Trafford’s next star he was frozen out of the squad in summer and ordered to find a new club.
On Saturday night Garnacho sat on the Chelsea bench as United sealed a dramatic 2-1 win. But the action on the pitch was overshadowed by the fury in the stands. From the moment he stepped out to warm up he was drowned in boos and chants that mocked him as greedy and brainless. It was the same taunt once fired at Carlos Tevez when he quit United for City.
The abuse continued through the first half before Garnacho was spotted deep in conversation with Amad Diallo at full time. The pair even swapped shirts and posed for a smiling snap which appeared on Diallo’s Instagram story. Hours later the post vanished along with every other picture on the Ivorian’s account leaving fans baffled.
Garnacho’s uneasy reunion with his old team-mates underlined a messy split from the club where he scored 26 goals in 144 appearances. His discipline had long been questioned. Last season he was dropped for the Manchester derby after a Europa League bust-up in Plzen. He then angered Amorim by complaining about being left on the bench in the Europa League final.
The fall-out escalated when his brother accused Amorim of throwing him under the bus. The Portuguese coach later told the youngster in front of the squad to pray another club would take him. Chelsea eventually did and so far he has only made two appearances.
As rain fell over Old Trafford Garnacho trudged across the pitch hood up gloves on and head down. United fans roared their approval at the final whistle while their former golden boy slipped away into the shadows.
United face Brentford next weekend in search of back-to-back league wins.